The former British colonial rulers left Burma with a functioning rail network, and by the look of it things have been left in their original state since independence more than 70 years ago. Having heard stories of long, bumpy, uncomfortable journeys, we decided to avoid Burma’s trains for intercity travel – opting for the surprisingly decent buses instead. Still, I love a good train journey, and jumped at the opportunity to ride Yangon’s Circular Train – a three hour journey of 46 km, stopping at 38 stations around the city.

When we first arrived in Burma, we were worried we would run out of money – the foreign exchange offices didn’t seem to like our less-than-perfect $100 US bills. After three weeks of watching every penny, we had a little money left over. So, we decided to splurge and have a few sunset drinks at Yangon’s Sky Bistro, housed on the top floor of Sakura Tower – one of the city’s few “skyscrapers” at 20 stories high.

Drinks with a view from Sky Bistro atop the Sakura Tower.

Drinks with a view from Sky Bistro atop the Sakura Tower.28-May-2012 17:57